Honorary Chair: Lilly Pulitzer

It all started with a juice stand in Palm Beach. Lilly, a young, sassy New York socialite had eloped with Peter Pulitzer, grandson of the Pulitzer Prize's Joseph Pulitzer and settled in Palm Beach to live the life of the rich and famous. Peter owned several Florida citrus groves, but Lilly needed a project of her own. So in the late 1950's, with Peter's produce, she opened a juice stand on Via Mizner, just off Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.

Lilly Pulitzer's business was a hit, but squeezing oranges, lemons, limes, and pink grapefruit made a mess of her clothes. Realizing that she needed a juice stand uniform, Lilly asked her dressmaker to design a dress that would camouflage the stains. The result? A comfortable sleeveless shift made of bright, colorful printed cotton - pink, green, yellow and orange. The dress even had custom dressmaker details like lining and lace seam bindings. It was perfect for the job and became Lilly's first Classic Shift.

Although her customers liked Lilly's juice, they loved her dress. When people began to ask if they could buy the dress, Lilly had a few more made up to sell in the stand. Soon Lilly was selling more dresses than juice, so she decided to stop squeezing and to focus on designing and selling her "Lillys." Before long, Jackie Kennedy, an old school chum, began wearing Lillys and, as First Lady, was featured in Life Magazine wearing a Classic Shift. Then, of course, everyone wanted one and Lilly Pulitzer became a fashion sensation.

General Chairman: Desmond Keogh
Keogh, a member of the Board of Directors of The American Red Cross, is reprising his role from the last two years. He also serves as Special Events Chairman for the American Red Cross Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter.

In addition to his Red Cross involvement, he is owner and President of Haifa General, serves on the board for the Innisfree Irish Theatre Company, and is a member of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, The Historical Preservation Society, Orbis International, The Irish
Georgian Society and The American Ireland Fund.

Co-Chairman: Victoria Amory
Amory, elected as a chapter board member earlier this year, hosted the preview party for the 2007 Showhouse. She is a noted Palm Beach writer and food enthusiast and is the author of the popular book Delicious!, a unique combination of recipes, menu plans, detailed course offerings and party/event ideas - inspired from Victoria's homeland of Andalucia, Spain.

Along with her commitment to the Red Cross, Amory recently joined the board at the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach.